On commentary included in Cody Chesnutt's second studio full-length 'Landing on a Hundred', the neo-soul man sheds light on a universal message at the heart of the album's second track: the need to "energize all the people in the diaspora" in light of the media's anything but colorful portrayal of the motherland. Well it's still early on in the year, but the just released vid for "I've Been Life" might just be the diasporic visual "hell yeah!" of the year. Below, we broke down the many ways Chesnutt's latest vid boosts up consciousness.
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1. Roll Call
This ain't no Rick Ross moment. Chesnutt's got the continent accounted for. "Algeria and Angola, Benin and Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde Islands..." the list goes on.
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2. Brooklyn Jumbies
So Chesnutt might be the maestro with a megaphone, but it's his highstanding help that's the real life of the party. We're pretty stoked to find out an organization who uses stilt walking and fire breathing to water cultural seeds exists in our very own backyard. Meet the Brooklyn Jumbies.
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3. Life > Anything
While not at all forgetful of history ("Since the change I’ve been a prisoner of a prisoner"), Chesnutt's very soulful raison d'etre is to celebrate life.
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4. This Guy
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5. Chesnutt '16
The world might be a better place if we can all convince Mr. Chesnutt to run for office next spin around the ballot box. The dude arms himself with a guitar and good vibes. I'm sold.